Grain-car door.



W. BRODHAGE. GRAIN GAR noon.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18,1913. 1,1 07,752. Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

mun.

W. BRODHAGE.

GRAIN OAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13,1913.

1,107,752. Patented Aug. 18, 1914 3 SHEETS SHEBT Z- Brawl/awe,

, anctnua 5 Patented Aug. 18, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFDOBE.

WILLIAM'IBIELODHAGE, 03E ST. LOUIS, MISSQURI.

omm-can noon Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18,1914.

Application filelimarch 13, 1913. Serial No. 754,118."

1 '0 all vhom it may concern: it known that I, WILLniM BIRODH'AGE, citizen of'the-United States, residing at St.

Louis, in the State of Missouri, have inventvsurect'or the door opening by the use of which grain will be effectually prevented from leaking through the opening and which will be so sonstrncted and arranged that the full extent of the door opening maybe utilized avhenitgis desired to quieklyimload the car.v I

Another object; of the inventionis toflpror1de a--.grain car door which will, in be its opened and closed-positions lie close tothe side ofthe car and will not- -project'intothe same. a

A further. object of the invention is to pro vide a car. door of such eonstructiomthat it may be-readilyopened and in the act-of opening will move away'from the car body that portion of thegrain lying against the same so that none-of the grain will-lodge behind the door andbe'lost.

Other incidental objects of the invention will appear as the description of the same progresses, and the invention consists in certain novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the annexed drawings, which fully illustrate the invention: Figure 1 is a side View of my improved door showing it in its closed position in full lines and partly opened in dotted lines ;Fig. 2 is a horizontal section onthe line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevation. showing the door fully opened and showing the central door post removed from the door opening; Fig'. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken through the central removable door postyFig. 5 is an elevation showing the outer side of the door; Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of an internal brace employed within the door; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the latch; Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the lower end of the removable post.

In carrying out my invention, I provide at each side of the door opening, upon the innerrwall of the car, a T-shaped frame con sisting of a vertical brace 1 secured at its upper end to the side door post 2 and at its lower end to the floor of the car, as shown at The upperendof the bracket orbrace 1 is spaced from the'doonpo'st, as-shown at 4, and to the said brace, at thecentor of the same, I secure the longitudinally' extending horizontal bar 5 which has its'inncr end secured tothe side'of the car,'as shown at'6. Inserted through the upright brace 1- andthe docr.post, near the lowenends thereof,is a belt or similar device 7 constituting apivot about which the door body 8 may swing.

It will be readilynotedfrom the drawings that the structure thus far described is duplicated at the two sides of the door opening anld'it will'beevidentthat the door bodies swing'toward each othemtoe'xten'd across and close thedoor opening= and swing: away from each other to nncoveri the door opening, and, in the opened position, are'retained between the -side'of'the car and-the bars '5.

aEach-door member is preferably composed ofa double series of boards fitted together and havinginterposed between them a me- -tallic brace bar Qythe said=brace bar'being shown in detail in Figrti-and' being. provided at one ,end with an eye IOAadapted-to fit around the pivot bolt or pin 7 and provided at intervals throughout its-length-with perforations 11 through which 'andthe boards 12 of the doorbodiesfastening screws, rivets, or other devices may be'inserted. The inner and outer faces of-the door bodies are covered with'sheetmetal, as shown at 1-3, so as to reinforce the same and resistwear and the inner-edges of the doors which are upright in the closed position thereof: are beveled, as shown at 14, so that, as the door is opened, this-beveled edgewilltake into the grain resting against the side of the car body and shove the same aside so thatno portion of the grain willlodge'between the door and the side of the carand be lost. At the lower inner corner of the door body, an enlargement or'l-ug 15 is provided to reinforce the same around the pivot bolt or pin.

The described construction is preferred for economical reasons,'but it will'be understood that the door may be constructed entirely of metal if desired. The. meeting edges of the door bodies are constructed with shoulders 16 adapted to overlap and interengage so that when the doors are inthe closed position leakage of theigrain between the door members will be positively prevented. In their outer faces, adjacent their outer lower corners, the door bodies are provided with notches or recesses 17 in which may be engaged the end of a convenient bar or other tool so that the door may be pried open against the pressure of the grain when it. is desired to remove the contents of the car.

To hold the door members in the closed position against the outward pressure of the grain, I provide the central door post. 18 which is adapted to be held in an upright position at the center of the door opening and atthe outer side of the door members. This removable post is a stout wooden body preferably reinforced on its outer side with a metallic sheathing, indicated at 19, and the lower end of this sheathing is doubled upon itself beneath the lower end of the body of the post, as shown at 20, and has its extremity 21 tapered so that it may readily enter. the space leftbetween the sill 22 and -a metallic plate'or bar secured upon the upper surface ofthe same. In the drawing, the metallic plate 23 is shown as spaced from the sill by two'lower plates interposed between the plate 23 and the sill and having their inner ends spaced apart; but this particular construction is not essential and the keeper to be engaged by the tapered extremity or hook 21 of the reinforcing plate 19 -may beprovided in any other convenient or preferred manner. The upper'end of the reinforcing plate19is formed with'an eye 25% which engages a bar 25 disposed horizontally upon the inner side of the car body and secured to the car body so as to extend from a point centrally over the door opening to l-ianger 26 having a flat side 27 through which i a screw or other fastening device may be inserted into the-body of the car. The post.

' isprovided on its sides, .near its lower end with lateral enlargements or projections 35. one of which is provided with an eye or hook 29 adapted to engage over a pin 30 on the inner side of the car body when the post is removed from the door opening, as shown in Fig.3.

v Upon the sides of the post and above the center-of the same are pivoted hooks or latches 31 which have inwardly projecting arms 32 provided with. lugs 33 adapted to engage over the upper edges of the door members and rest on said edges 'so as to hold the doors in the closed position. The upwardly extending arms of the latches are provided at their upper ends with. resilient fingers 34 provided with perforations adapted to engage pins on the post so as to hold the latches in engagement with the door memhers.

at its lower end engaging under the keeper or plate 23 and the doors are then moved to closed positlcn so as to extend across the door opening and bear against. the inner face of the post. The latches are then engaged over the upper edges ofthe doors and the grain then fed into the car through the space between the upper edges of the door members and the top of the door opening. \Vhen the car is to be unloaded, a lever is en gaged in each recess 17 and the door then pried upwardly so as to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The grain will then escape below the lower edges of the door openings and the lower corners of the doors will be supported by the enlarge, ments :28 on the post untillthe ressure of the grain has been reduced su 'ciently to permit the doors to easily swing clear of the door opening. As the doors move inwardly the beveled edges thereoi' will push the grain away from the side of the car, as before stated.; and the doors may move over so as to rest upon the floor of the car behind the frame composed of the bar 5 and the upright 1. as will be readily understood. If it should now be desired to rapidly dischargethe grain from the car. the .lower end of the post is disengaged from the keeper or plate and the postt-hen swung upwardly and laterally upon its connection with the hook 526 and bar 25 and then slid to one side of the door opening and supported upon the said bar and the support 30. as shown in Fig. 3. The bar will thus be out of the way so that the operation of unloading the car will notbe hampered.

It will be readily seen that I have provided a grain car door which will he very strong and durable and which may beeasily operated to' retain grain within the car or permit the unloading of the car as may be desired. he several parts of the device are all simple in construction so that the door may he applied to any car at a slight expense.

Vhat I claim is v 1. The combination with a car body liar-- ing a door opening therein, of a hanger bar secured to the car bcidy above the said open ing and extending from a. point'centrally overrthe opening to 'apoint beyond the side thereof. a post sli dably and pivotally fitted upon said bar and adapted to extend vertically... across the door opening. means for supporting said post above and at one side eithe opening, and door members pivotally mounted at the sides of the'opening and adapted to extend over the same and bear against the said post.

2. The combination with a car body ha ing a door opening therein, of a keeper at the lower side of the said opening, and a post movably hung upon the car body above the said opening and provided at its lower end with means for engaging under said keeper.

3. The combination with a car body having a door opening therein, of a post movably hung upon the body abo've thedoor opening and provided with a retaining; device at its lower end, door members pivoted at the sides of the door opening and adapted to extend over .the same, lateral enlargements on the sides of said post above the lower end thereof against which the door members will rest when partly opened, a support upon the car body above and at one side of the door opening, and means on one of the said lateral enlargements to engage said support.

4. The combination with a car body having a door opening therein, of a keeper on the car body at the lower side of the door opening, a post hung upon the car body above the door opening, a sheathing on said pest having its lower end extended under and doubled on itself beneatlr the lower end of the post to form a hook adapted to engage under said keeper, and door members pivetally mounted at the sides of the door opening and adapted to extend across the same and rest against said post.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM BRODHAGE.

\Vitnesses:

HERMAN \Vnunu, O. J. "as'rex new 

